Rabbi Marshall Meyer was an ordinary man whose extraordinary convictions, faith, and impetuous personality impelled him to become one of the most important human rights activists during Argentina’s Dirty War, also known as El Proceso (1976-1983). Marshall is remembered for what he did, namely his human rights work and social justice activism. But his legacy is made that much greater by his ability to articulate why we are all responsible for speaking out against injustice.
This exhibit, drawn from the Marshall Meyer papers at Duke University Libraries, is not only a commemoration of the social activism and human rights work of Rabbi Marshall Meyer, but also explores the making of an activist. It examines the life of a man who had an average childhood in suburban Connecticut, was shaped by a brand of Judaism that demanded social engagement, and then was molded by the political and social realities of life in 1960s and 1970s Argentina.